Our Italian photographer Alessandro wasn’t scheduled for duty at this year’s World Cycling Championships, but the lure of his home country race was too strong to keep him away from Toscana. What greeted him was some terrible weather but also a day of unforgettable memories roadside in Firenze.

2013 has been very unlucky for the weather during important cycling days. Rain and cold at Tirreno, snow at Sanremo, rain and snow at Giro. Again the sky decided to open all its gates on the race, and I was exactly below it once again. Me as many others. But at the end again the sun has shined and I would repeat it even tomorrow.

I shouldn’t have come here. Last month, end of August I contacted Pez to know if I was on duty for World’s. A race I don’t like too much. No need, Ed will cover the event. So I was already thinking to the last part of the season with Lombardia and Emilia, two of my favourites, coming soon. But, while days were passing and newspapers were talking about the World Championship in Florence I couldn’t resist and I sent an application to UCI for my small facebook page. Surprisingly my request was accepted and I got the bid as photographer. That moment I took the decision. I will chase that race too.

So Sunday morning I made the trip to Florence, just three hours from Fano, my hometown on the Adriatic coast, and under a cloudy sky I entered in one of the most beautiful cities we have in Italy. The roads were deserted and all the people was concentrating on the race route, especially on the Fiesole climb, because the Salviati road (the steep one) was forbidden to the people (unless you had a very expensive ticket).

Closed roads, for a day the traffic is off for the benefit of the best bikes of the World.

I decided to walk the road to Fiesole and have some good moments there, trying also to watch the descent and via Salviati through one of those shortcuts I study long time on maps.

My new friends from Australia

While I was walking the way to the top I met some Australian fans. They came here to enjoy Italy and some rides on Dolomiti, Stelvio and Tuscany. I was very happy to meet them because they are Pez readers and they were knowing me from my reports.

Everything was going really fine, but again, as in all other occasions in 2013 I had to deal with a very nasty weather. Storm was coming from west, from the sea, and was particularly powerful. Especially before the race, but even during the race we had to deal with a very wet day. All my clothes were wet after half an hour and still now, in the press room I’m wet. All dry clothes are waiting for me in the car, few blocks from here.

Also for the riders the weather was a bad deal and, lap by lap, the number of contenders was decreasing significantly. Italian team was doing much work ahead but I felt that the selection was natural. The good part of the story is that I managed to watch also via Salviati and some of the descent. Mission accomplished.

At three laps from the finish the rain has stopped to drop suddenly. Behind the hill of via Salviati we were also able to watch the sun penetrating the clouds. So we had three laps with lights, that allowed a little bit of warm and some more focus for the pictures.

During the last two laps I managed to move on the top of via Salviati and I have to say I was the only photographer there, so the picture you see about Rodriguez you won’t see out of Pez and wait for more in the next days on Pez Pelos and Facebook page when Chris Selden will also share some of the best pictures I will publish on my diary.

Ulissi abandons the race with three to go

Contador on the Salviati climb after being dropped by the front group.

The Rodriguez moment

Here in press room I’m listening several journos criticizing the winner’s name (Rui Costa is not the name the big magazines were waiting for today), but I have to say I enjoyed the race and it was very exciting especially in the last lap (as usual). I’m sure there would be more hidden stories to tell, but the thoughts of dry clothes waiting for me are too strong at this time!